Yes, I signed up for a half-marathon!

I started running regularly only recently. In the last 12 months, I have been trying to make this a habit, and over the months, I have been able to run more. I had signed up for the Airtel Hyderabad 10K run in August, but unfortunately, I had to travel on work, and could not participate then.

Then, once I was back, work took center stage, I put in long hours at work, and all fitness activity stopped for about 3 months. I started feeling heavy, and when I stood up on the weighing scale, I was embarrassed. I had put on weight and had to start the fitness journey all over again. Then, I made a decision to make fitness, and running, a core habit for life. I started training - slowly, and ran small distances to begin with. And by November end, I was able to run/walk the Hyderabad 10K in about 1 hr 16 mins. I was proud of myself, and it gave me the belief that if I could run a 10K with such little practice, I could run far more consistently, and long distances with regular practice. I was also excited to see so many youngsters, and old folk run that day. It inspired me to run regularly and get better. And so the journey started.

Photos of Hyderabad 10K

And here I am today, I took upon the challenge to run the half-marathon for the very first time. I know I can run the 10K with ease now. So, the half-marathon on Feb 24th, 2019 will be double the distance. But I know I have it in me to achieve it.



Here is what I read for my preparation for the half-marathon. Now it's time to implement it.

https://www.verywellfit.com/13-things-to-know-before-running-a-half-marathon-3862882

I also need to maintain my weight, so intake of the right amount of calories is very important. Along with the above link, I found a very good resource that helped me think about my weight goal:

https://www.verywellfit.com/how-many-calories-to-lose-weight-3495659#start-over

This year, the goal is to be able to run a full marathon by the end of the year. I am sincerely hoping that the dream comes through.

2019 - A fresh start!

It has been a long time since I blogged. I was either busy, lazy or did not want to blog. Whatever it might be, I did not write for a long time. Now, suddenly I felt that I should start blogging again in 2019 so that I keep tab of some of the crazy things that I do, and I started off with this.

New Year's is a time for resolutions. I make my personal goals/ resolutions each year. I have been doing this for my sake for the last 4 years now. And this year is not going to be new. Some of the things will not change from the list as well. But what has helped me most is to bucket these goals into broad categories that almost becomes a lifelong framework. These are generic and applicable to all. You can make lists within each category and track them.

So, here you go - these are my goal categories:

1. Managing Relationships - Family, friends are important to me. I will de-clutter, and focus only on key relationships.

2. Health & Fitness - I have been blessed with good health, but just like a vehicle, regular servicing and maintenance is must. And therefore, I will focus on building fitness as a good habit. I have started running and exercising.

3. Business Leadership - Focus at the work place to be better everyday. Leadership, at all levels, in all tasks - is a must. I will focus on improving my business leadership in all possible ways.

4. Personal Finances - Though my parents educated me quite a bit on this aspect, I only realized a few years ago that focusing and personal finance planning is very important. And very important is to stay on top of the plan. I also sensed that many of my team members did not have a set plan for them. So, I started educating them as well.

5. Reading & Learning - This should be an ongoing exercise/ goal for every individual all along their lives.

6. Time for passion - Singing/ Music and Traveling is my passion. I will learn classical singing (I have been doing in bits earlier and want to make it consistent). Also, I will make a conscious effort to travel to places on my bucket list, and some offbeat gems.

When I shared this so called framework with some of my work colleagues, they could relate very easily and found it extremely useful. We all have it at the back of our mind, but just don't say it out loud. But I have found it helps when we write these down, or see it in front of our eyes. At least that's what works for me.

Wish you all a very Happy New Year! May all your goals and dreams come true!